More Versus Molly's: The Battle of Two Chicago Cupcake Bakeries

We thought the cupcake craze was over, but you wouldn't know that in Chicago, where the number of cupcakeries will soon start rivaling the number of pizza joints. And the city will get its first Sprinkles this spring.

Determined to name a favorite, we tried out two popular shops in a cupcake smackdown: Morein the Gold Coast and Molly's in Lincoln Park.

Find out which cupcake took the cake, after the jump

Some selections at Molly's Cupcakes

At More:More is a takeout-only shop, so if you were looking for a place to sit down and linger with your dessert, this isn't it. The mini-cakes look like impeccable works of art. We wanted to sample a bacon-flavored treat, as More is known for its savory cupcakes, but the shop was sold out. Instead, we tried the white velvet, the More 'cake (the shop's version of those cream-filled Hostess cupcake), the salted caramel, and the cookies and cream. We were disappointed with the white velvet, since it tasted like a plain old vanilla cupcake. Additionally, the cookies and cream similarly fell flat because the frosting overpowered it and you couldn't taste any cookies. The best of the bunch was the salted caramel; its gooey, rich caramel center was beyond delicious.

At Molly'sFor those who want a sit-down sweets stop, Molly's offers seating. In fact, the eclectic little dessert shop even has several swing seats. We tasted the red velvet and "cookee monster" cupcakes. The red velvet was the best we've ever had, and we don't say that lightly. The "cookee monster" is a vanilla chocolate-chip cake with buttercream frosting and a mini chocolate-chip cookie garnish. But the surprise is the raw cookie dough center. It's a must for any cookie-dough ice cream fans.

The winner is Molly's, hands down. You can grab your own Molly's cupcake at the little shop at 2536 North Clark Street.